The Bobalong Barge in Port St. Johns

The Bobalong Barge in Port St. Johns

The Bobalong Barge in Port St. Johns has been smoothly operating on the waters of the Umzimvubu for some months now, and after passing her sea trials with flying fish, is now hard at work.

Brucifire and I gatecrashed a birthday party cruisade and lemonade bash, as stowaways. Niknaks and candy had everyone fired up on sugar and msg in no time as we journeyed right up past the main bridge into the wild.

The Bobalong is well equipped and thoughtfully put together – there is even a head, or WC, at sea. Toilet to most. Tables run the length down the middle, and there is some serious sound aboard – even one of those really tequila funny hooters for when the sugar kicks in. LED lights and beaitiful wood finish wraps up a neat riverine party package. Completely safe, and can handle groups of up to 30! Pickup and dropoff can be from any of the lodges or slipways in the area, when the tides agree.

The river itself is one of the main attractions to Port St. Johns. It is a really big piece of water (full of fish btw), and easily navigable until up past the bridge where sand miners operate with ropes and cables across the river. In days of old, boats could go 18kms! Nature envelopes as the cliffs tower above, cliff faces dotted with caves that lead to dangerous speculation – did people live there?

Fish eagles and herons and terns and all sorts patrol the skies and finches and ducks and hornbills supply nice backing music for toasts and cheers. Food can be arranged from any of the many water fronted restaurants.
The banks are lined with river lodges that feature well honed facilities, and always seem to be busy. Fishing is obviously a major tourism attraction, but it’s diving and sardines that Bobalong’s owners get really excited about.

Their business, Offshore Africa Port St. Johns offer extreme experiental diving experiences in The Sardine Run. Sardines and the animals that follow them. Including, sharks! It’s a highly specialised business but the sharks do seem so preoccupied with the shoals of sardines, that you really do just get ignored. And the sharks hardly feature when the dolphins arrive. They are just so slick and intelligent and just seem to be having an endless sardine party. Then the Brydes Whale might swim past and eat the whole baitball! And keep an eye (and an ear) out for them humpbacks. They just come out of nowhere!

Talk about extreme! Bookings for 2016 are now open, click on over to http://offshoreportstjohns.com for the whole shpiel. Videos and all…